Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Edwards

Joy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

Sweet Surrender began as a result of a “bad day” at the beauty shop.

For years I wore my hair permed to make styling and manageability easier. As a teenager, I found a stylist that I really loved and she became the only person I trusted with the health and growth of my hair.

Back in the day, some stylists were known to find any excuse to cut your hair when it started getting long, so to find a stylist who wasn’t scissor-happy was a blessing and I remained a loyal client for well over a decade.

My stylist was truly talented and always in high demand, so long wait times and her working on two or three clients simultaneously was not uncommon. Unfortunately, that day she was busy and left the perm in my hair for a bit too long. Although I told her it was starting to burn, the few extra moments it took for her to get to me and wash it out was all it took for me to receive what I’m sure were second-degree burns on my scalp.

For women of color, it was commonplace to avoid combing, brushing, or excessively styling our hair a day or two before an appointment at the beauty shop, and we definitely avoid scratching the scalp. Although these practices often help to mitigate burns, every once in a while burns on the neck, ears, hairline, or other areas of the scalp happen.

I still don’t know why I never sought medical treatment. All I wanted was to soothe the burn, clean my scalp, and get rid of the nasty scabs on my scalp and in my hair. The natural hair community was relatively new, so there weren’t any options in stores, and even fewer online as the few brands that were out there were always sold out.

Determined to find a solution, I took to the internet to begin researching how to soothe and treat chemical burns with natural oils and butters. Every article I read suggested seeking the help and direction of a medical doctor or dermatologist, but instead of heeding the advice, I skimmed over it and kept reading one article after another to get the information I needed.

After hours of research and reading, I selected a few oils and butters and began mixing and testing batch after batch until one day, I found a formula that not only soothed my scalp, but transformed my hands!

When styling your hair with oil or cream-based products, the excess is washed away and rinsed off, or rubbed into the hands. This particular day, my hands soaked up the product so fast I didn’t have time to rub it in or wash it off and I could not believe how soft and moisturized my hands looked and felt.

Growing up I always had sensitive skin. As a teenager and into adulthood, what I thought were dish-pan hands were in fact atopic dermatitis. My hands were always extremely dry, rough, and cracked, and nothing I tried worked until I began experimenting with natural ingredients for my scalp and hair.

To make sure this was no fluke, I made another batch of the same formula I used for my scalp. I don’t know about anyone else, but even though it may be the same ingredients in the same packaging, once I use a product for my hair, it’s no longer suitable for my body, it is forever more a hair product.

With the second batch, I used the mix exclusively on my hands and days later, on the rest of my body. One week later, I made enough for my family and stopped using store-bought lotions.

One afternoon, my husband picked me up from work and on the way home he asked if I would ever consider selling what is not my body butter. Honestly, until that moment, I never considered it. I was just so happy to finally have a product that soothed, nourished, and moisturized my sensitive, dry, and itchy skin.

I remember how embarrassed I was that my skin was discolored, dry, and ashy. I was always trying to hide my arms with long sleeves and hide my hands away in my pockets. To not be embarrassed by my skin was so liberating and freeing, I knew I had to share it with others who were struggling and suffering like me.

That was the start of my entrepreneurial journey and my mission to help women of color nourish and fall in love with their skin and themselves.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

In life, the choices and decisions we make lead us on paths and journeys that are ever-changing; however, entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart.

As little children, we are taught to do well in school, get good grades so we can go to college, and get a degree in a profession that will provide financial security and stability. We are not taught how to follow our dreams and see where our passions take us.

For me, discovering my passion and following my dream came at a time in my life when I thought my career was set. I had no idea how to switch gears and go from being an employee with the City of San Diego for over 16 years, to becoming a business owner. There was so much I didn’t know, and as time progressed, I found there was still a lot more, that I have no clue about. You don’t know, what you don’t know.

Building a business takes time, patience, and money. There’s always so much that needs to be done and as the business owner, every decision is up to you.

The biggest challenges so far have been my lack of knowledge and oftentimes, my lack of funding resources. There’s so much to learn and do, and, every decision comes with a price tag.

Although boot-strapping my business has been extremely challenging, I must admit that it has caused me to be creative and resourceful. The adage is true, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Following your dreams isn’t always easy, but if you believe in yourself and your dreams, with patience, perseverance, determination, and creativity, you can make your dreams your reality, and all the heartache will pay off and be worthwhile.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

Sweet Surrender is a brand that caters to the needs of women with dry, sensitive skin; however, what I specialize in, is creating opportunities for women to escape their hectic schedules, relax, and maintain the health and vitality of their skin through daily self-care.

Although my products are formulated to cater to the needs of melanated skin, which needs more gentle, nourishing, and moisturizing ingredients, all women can benefit from using my products.

I was a young single mother and I remember how stressful and difficult it was to manage and balance the responsibilities of motherhood, parenting, and being a full-time employee and student. My days began at 5 am before sunrise and ended at 11:30 pm or later with me physically and mentally exhausted.

The few moments every morning and every night in the shower were the times I had just for me. I was alone with my thoughts, sometimes at peace, and sometimes in prayer crying and asking for the strength and courage to keep going. No matter my mood or state of mind, those moments were mine alone and just for me.

It is my goal to empower women to prioritize themselves and their needs. It is my goal for women to embrace and cherish these moments of solace and turn them into whatever they need them to be and pamper themselves and their skin with bath and body care that surrounds them in uplifting and relaxing fragrances, nourishes their bodies, and soothes their souls.

I’m so proud that I have discovered my passion and have learned the skill and art of formulation. I believe all women deserve to feel and look beautiful. It is my goal for every woman to fall in love with herself and love pampering and taking care of herself every day, not just when she can get an appointment at her favorite spa.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?

The beauty industry is ever-changing and technology makes it hard to keep up sometimes; however, I believe when it comes to skin and body care natural is best.

To have access to cutting-edge technology to produce ingredients that can improve the look, feel, and texture of the skin and add fullness and plumpness to certain parts of the body is great if that’s what some people want, but my beliefs are a bit old-fashioned. I believe Mother Nature has provided us with everything we need to live and thrive in the plants, fruits, and vegetables we can grow and eat.

From the time we are born, we begin aging. The aging process is inevitable. Growing older is a gift and a blessing, not a curse. No one is going to look like a teenager forever, nor will anyone live indefinitely, so instead of using harsh chemicals to hide your natural beauty and cover the experiences of life with injectables and fillers, I believe in helping your skin to mature and be at its healthy, most radiant best with natural plant-based ingredients.

I don’t judge anyone who wants to look as youthful as possible for as long as possible. I just believe there’s another, more natural alternative that doesn’t require weekly injections that may have potentially harmful side effects.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would love for every woman to be her own standard of beauty and embrace her skin, body, and her whole self for the uniquely beautiful woman she is and Sweet Surrender is here to help one luxurious bath and shower at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweet-surrender.biz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_surrender_co/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4sweetsurrender
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFbsAV5PyEITSJNoVIb7Cw

Image Credits

Joy Edwards